--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm interested in non-fiction, but a form…" description: "\"I'm interested in non-fiction, but a form of it which is very badly behaved, which doesn't define itself as straight-ahead journalism or memoir. It blu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a1/david-shields-8815_alive_i-m-interested-in-non-fiction-but-a-form_2117813.jpg" --- # I'm interested in non-fiction, but a form of it which is… ![“I'm interested in non-fiction, but a form of it which is very badly behaved, which doesn't define itself as straight-ahead journalism or memoir. It blurs boundaries, plays fast and loose with the truth - not to be silly, whimsical or lazy, but to get greater purchase on what it feels like to be…” quote by David Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a1/david-shields-8815_alive_i-m-interested-in-non-fiction-but-a-form_2117813.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a1/david-shields-8815_alive_i-m-interested-in-non-fiction-but-a-form_2117813.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a1/david-shields-8815_alive_i-m-interested-in-non-fiction-but-a-form_2117813.jpg) > “I'm interested in non-fiction, but a form of it which is very badly behaved, which doesn't define itself as straight-ahead journalism or memoir. It blurs boundaries, plays fast and loose with the truth - not to be silly, whimsical or lazy, but to get greater purchase on what it feels like to be alive.” [David Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shields/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A genre that mixes fact and fiction, bending truth to capture lived experience more vividly than straight reporting. **In simple terms:** Blended nonfiction seeks truth through creative storytelling. Key Takeaway Embrace hybrid forms to explore reality. Themes truth creativity genre experience perception Mood curious reflective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - journalism - memoir - literary criticism - personal essays Key Concepts Narrative nonfiction creative nonfiction auto-fiction Questions to Reflect On - How does blending fact and fiction affect credibility? - When is creative distortion justified? A Different Perspective Hybrid works may blur factual accuracy, risking misinformation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism/) [Non fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/non-fiction/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Whimsical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whimsical/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“For my purpose, the non-fiction form of abstract knowledge doesn’t interest me; the final, applied form of fiction, of story, does.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/for-my-purpose-the-non-fiction-form-of-abstract-knowledge-doesn-t/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“You're smiling. But you must know yourself, since you are a literary person, that the work of fiction is always a form of recovery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-federman/you-re-smiling-but-you-must-know-yourself-since-you-are-a-literary/) [Raymond Federman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-federman/) > [Modern science fiction is the only form of literature that consistently considers the nature of the changes that face us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/modern-science-fiction-is-the-only-form-of-literature-that/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [My dream remains to inform and entertain through fiction in the form of novels and movies that compete in the marketplace of ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-b-jenkins/my-dream-remains-to-inform-and-entertain-through-fiction-in-the-form/) [Jerry B. Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-b-jenkins/) > [The ancient historians gave us delightful fiction in the form of fact; the modern novelist presents us with dull facts under the guise of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-ancient-historians-gave-us-delightful-fiction-in-the-form-of-fact/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“And so, they sat next to a birch tree, watching the butterflies spin around them. Linetta leaned back, her dark hair falling against the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-marinello-sweeney/and-so-they-sat-next-to-a-birch-tree-watching-the-butterflies-spin/) [Gina Marinello-Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-marinello-sweeney/) > [“I love to create vibrant, whimsical floral compositions that are either executed with one single hue or the opposite: a blend of multiple colors!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chantal-larocque/i-love-to-create-vibrant-whimsical-floral-compositions-that-are/) [Chantal Larocque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chantal-larocque/) > [Agreements. Specifically, a treaty ratified by all the orders of whimsical like forms who dwell here that affords a measure of security for mortal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-mull/agreements-specifically-a-treaty-ratified-by-all-the-orders-of/) [Brandon Mull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-mull/) > [On inspection, Gaudi's architecture isn't whimsical at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/on-inspection-gaudi-s-architecture-isn-t-whimsical-at-all/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [“Man's wobbly little mind isn't equipped for hauling around the great unknowns. Very few people realize, there's no point chasing after answers to life's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/man-s-wobbly-little-mind-isn-t-equipped-for-hauling-around-the-great/) [Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/) > [I have people who want to pull me into specific projects in the community based on my music and on the mixtapes. It's like,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lupe-fiasco/i-have-people-who-want-to-pull-me-into-specific-projects-in-the/) [Lupe Fiasco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lupe-fiasco/) > [“Night is the sleep of seven wax moths Dawn is the singing of five mermaids Noon is the scratching of three field mice Dusk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xi-chuan/night-is-the-sleep-of-seven-wax-moths-dawn-is-the-singing-of-five/) [Xi Chuan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/xi-chuan/) > [I wish the word whimsical wasn't used now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcgough/i-wish-the-word-whimsical-wasn-t-used-now/) [Roger McGough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcgough/) > [It's hard to find black roles that are just whimsical and fun and colorful. And I think, in many ways, that can be just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amandla-stenberg/it-s-hard-to-find-black-roles-that-are-just-whimsical-and-fun-and/) [Amandla Stenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amandla-stenberg/) > [The rugs that I picked out and the pillows with the little owls, sort of like whimsical throw pillows - I feel like you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/busy-philipps/the-rugs-that-i-picked-out-and-the-pillows-with-the-little-owls-sort/) [Busy Philipps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/busy-philipps/) ## More by David Shields > [To be honest, there are parts of 'How Literature Saved My Life' that began as interviews. Someone was telling me that they think the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shields/to-be-honest-there-are-parts-of-how-literature-saved-my-life-that/) [David Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shields/) > [I'm very drawn to the way in which a life lived can be an art of sorts or a failed art, and a life-lived-told…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shields/i-m-very-drawn-to-the-way-in-which-a-life-lived-can-be-an-art-of/) [David Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shields/) > [People like Ian McEwan and Jonathan Franzen completely bore me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shields/people-like-ian-mcewan-and-jonathan-franzen-completely-bore-me/) [David Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shields/) > [You're one of 6.5 billion people now on the planet, and 99.9 percent of your genes are the same as everyone else's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shields/you-re-one-of-6-5-billion-people-now-on-the-planet-and-99-9-percent/) [David Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shields/) > [We're completely confused about the boundaries between fiction and non-fiction. To me, the moment you compose, you're fictionalising; the moment you remember, you're dreaming.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shields/we-re-completely-confused-about-the-boundaries-between-fiction-and/) [David Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shields/) > [Your art is most alive and dangerous when you use it against yourself. That's why I pick at my scabs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shields/your-art-is-most-alive-and-dangerous-when-you-use-it-against-yourself/) [David Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shields/) > [Everything I write, I believe instinctively, is to some extent collage. Meaning, ultimately, is a matter of adjacent data.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shields/everything-i-write-i-believe-instinctively-is-to-some-extent-collage/) [David Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shields/) > [Swimming is by far the best tonic I've found for my back. I'm not a good swimmer - I do the breaststroke or elementary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shields/swimming-is-by-far-the-best-tonic-i-ve-found-for-my-back-i-m-not-a/) [David Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shields/) > [I've always liked this idea that writing should comfort the afflicted, and afflict the comfortable to create trouble. The value of a work of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shields/i-ve-always-liked-this-idea-that-writing-should-comfort-the-afflicted/) [David Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shields/) > [The beauty of reality-based art - art underwritten by reality hunger - is that it's perfectly situated between life itself and (unattainable) "life as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shields/the-beauty-of-reality-based-art-art-underwritten-by-reality-hunger-is/) [David Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shields/) > [“A great book allows me to leap over that wall: in a deep, significant conversation with another consciousness, I feel human and unalone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shields/a-great-book-allows-me-to-leap-over-that-wall-in-a-deep-significant/) [David Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shields/) > [The novel is dead. Long live the antinovel, built from scraps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shields/the-novel-is-dead-long-live-the-antinovel-built-from-scraps/) [David Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shields/) > [I am exhausted by traditional memoir. I am exhausted by the architecture of the conventional novel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shields/i-am-exhausted-by-traditional-memoir-i-am-exhausted-by-the/) [David Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shields/) > [I couldn't tell a story if my life depended on it. I'm the world's worst joke-teller.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shields/i-couldn-t-tell-a-story-if-my-life-depended-on-it-i-m-the-world-s/) [David Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shields/) > [The absence of plot leaves the reader room to think about other things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shields/the-absence-of-plot-leaves-the-reader-room-to-think-about-other-things/) [David Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shields/) [Explore all 77 David Shields quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shields/) ## More Alive quotes > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/) Adam Ant > [I don't crave applause. I'm not one of those guys who comes alive on stage. I'm much more alive at home, I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-don-t-crave-applause-i-m-not-one-of-those-guys-who-comes-alive-on/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [We must master our egoism, and through this mastery, step outside ourselves and educate ourselves in giving. Fasting requires that we rediscover all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/we-must-master-our-egoism-and-through-this-mastery-step-outside/) [Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/) > [I can't say that there are 'things' that make me come alive. There are thoughts that make me come alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-can-t-say-that-there-are-things-that-make-me-come-alive-there-are/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [We're like the wicked witch. We promise gingerbread, then eat the little brats alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/we-re-like-the-wicked-witch-we-promise-gingerbread-then-eat-the/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [If Jovan Belcher didn't possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-costas/if-jovan-belcher-didn-t-possess-a-gun-he-and-kasandra-perkins-would/) [Bob Costas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-costas/) > [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/) [David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/) > [I think adoption becomes complicated whenever the biological parents are alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-haven/i-think-adoption-becomes-complicated-whenever-the-biological-parents/) [James Haven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-haven/) > [The pain of love is the pain of being alive. It is a perpetual wound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-duffy/the-pain-of-love-is-the-pain-of-being-alive-it-is-a-perpetual-wound/) [Maureen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-duffy/) > [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [If Melanchthon were alive today, he might not weep because of controversies that surround the Lord's Supper, but he might well sorrow because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-w-lutzer/if-melanchthon-were-alive-today-he-might-not-weep-because-of/) [Erwin W. Lutzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-w-lutzer/) > [If you’re alive, don’t move, if you’re dead, don’t worry about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/if-you-re-alive-don-t-move-if-you-re-dead-don-t-worry-about-it/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [Here Greek and Roman find themselves alive along these crowded shelves; and Shakespeare treads again his stage, and Chaucer paints anew his age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/here-greek-and-roman-find-themselves-alive-along-these-crowded/) [John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/) > [You're alive!" Fezzik cried. The man in black sat immobile, like a ventriloquist's dummy, just his mouth moving. "That is perhaps the most childishly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/you-re-alive-fezzik-cried-the-man-in-black-sat-immobile-like-a/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) [Browse all 7,282 Alive quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm interested in non-fiction, but a form of it which is very badly behaved, which doesn't define itself as straight-ahead journalism or memoir. 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